Life is Like a Boat
by ii-Phoenix-ii
Summary: The night before the 57th Expedition, Eren and Mikasa fall into an inter-dimensional portal that tosses them into a technologically advanced world. [AU]
1. The Portal

**Chapter 1: The Portal**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Summary**: The night before the 57th Expedition, Eren and Mikasa fall into an inter-dimensional portal that tosses them into a technologically advanced world. [Modern AU]

**(I) **This story (like all my other Modern AU stories) is set in _a_ modern world, not the Real World. For clarification, refer to my profile.

**(II) Fair Warning**: There's no plot. This is pretty much a Slice of Life story. I just wrote down my day-dream about Eren and Mikasa in a modern world. This fanfic is just for fun, a story I'm doing to amuse myself.

* * *

Eren bolted upright, the sound of flesh meeting the cold stone floor snapping him to attention. For a second, fear of an assassin coming to slit his throat struck him. The tension melted a second later when he recognized the silhouette along with the splash of red. "Mikasa, what're you doing down here?" He whispered, unwilling to break the silence in a louder tone than necessary. Logically he knew no one would hear if they spoke normally, still, it was a deep seated reaction, one he couldn't ignore.

"I came to see you." She took the key from the unconscious guard and opened the cell, cringing at the creaking, the iron having rusted after years of neglect and disuse.

"What's wrong with the guards?" He felt panicked. What if they saw this as an act of rebellion and executed them both?

"Don't worry," she reassured him, "I only knocked them out. They'll be conscious by morning." Undoing his chains, she stepped back, answering his questioning look as he rubbed his wrists. "I thought maybe you'd like to stay together for the night. I mean the 57th Expedition is tomorrow and it's our first one. Who knows what will happen?"

Eren hesitated. His situation painted not only him in suspicious light, but the people close to him as well. And that was bad enough, they didn't need to add to that paranoia by knocking out the guards in charge of keeping an eye on him.

"C'mon," Mikasa tugged his hand. "Pretty much everyone's asleep, the hallways are empty. On the roof, we'll still technically be in the castle. Just an hour or so and you'll be back here before anyone notices." The guards would, hopefully, think they fell asleep. If the two had any sense of self-preservation they'd keep their mouths shut. And with the prisoner where he should be when they woke from their forced slumber, it wouldn't be too bad. "Please Eren?"

He couldn't remember the last time she'd shown emotion—other than her overbearing nature when she became worried about him. "Where's Armin?" He finally asked. It had been far too long since he'd properly talked to them. While he'd grown closer to his team, he'd missed his friends terribly and felt that ache of loss every day in the past month.

"I was going to get him but Jean was awake in their room."

"I thought you said everyone was asleep," he accused.

"I said most were. It doesn't matter, he's not gonna leave the room. Even if he does, he's in a completely separate part of the castle."

Eren took a breath...and threw caution to the wind, the stories he had heard from his fellow Scouts losing comrades left and right outside the walls buzzing in his head. There wouldn't be any time the following morning either. He wasn't letting this chance slip by. "Let's go."

Quiet as a pair of mice, they snuck up to the top of the castle. Settling on the stone ground, they shared a rare comfortable silence between them. Overheard the stars shone brightly around a glowing full moon. As children, they used to gaze at the beautiful view of the nighttime sky and talk about their dreams and the wonders of the world outside their cage.

"I missed this," Mikasa broke the silence softly.

"Yeah..." Eren felt hollow, remembering how his mother used to bring them food and blankets. Guilt, instead of the usual rage, coursed through him at the image of his mother's sweet smile replaced by that of her blood flying as her broken body inched closer to that maniac grin that haunted him.

Mikasa's fingers curled around his hand, feeling the same pain. Much to her surprise and joy, Eren squeezed her hand.

Her train of thought was disrupted when she noticed something above them. "What is that?" Her eyebrow furrowed and she tried squinting to get a better look.

"I don't know. It kind of looks like water when you drop something in it," Eren muttered. _But why would the sky look like that? _

"Is it me or are the ripples getting close—uwh!" Mikasa floated up, now parallel to the ground instead of sitting on it. Her free arm and legs flailing. Sheer panic overtook her. For the first time ever, she had no control of her own body, the one thing, after her precious boys, that hadn't failed her since the moment she took Eren's words to heart that fateful day.

"Mikasa!" Eren yelled, forced to stand with Mikasa almost above his head now. Before he could yank her down, he, too, was pulled up and felt lost as the world swirled around them.

* * *

Eren sat up, swaying with dizziness. "Careful there." A pair of hands steadied him.

He blinked, the blurriness fading, and looked at the pensive woman. She was older than him, in her 20's if he were to guess, with long auburn hair and wide hazel eyes. She poured water into a glass and handed it to him. He took it greedily. To his left, Mikasa began to stir. The woman poured some water in another glass and offered it to her as well, watching warily as the teenage girl downed it in one go.

Satisfied they were aware enough, she finally asked the question on her mind, "Who are you and how did you get into my home?" Well, two questions in the same sentence.

"I'm Eren Yeager."

"Mikasa Ackerman." She observed her surrounding intently.

She took in their cautious and curious gazes and finally spoke, "My name's Natalie, and you're in my apartment. What I'd like to know is how you got here." She folded her arms a little defensively when two pairs of intent eyes focused on her.

"There was this weird ripple thing that sucked us in and, um," Eren tried to remember what happened afterward. All he got was a tightening in his stomach, remembering the world turning around him.

"It looked like a distortion in space, right?" Natalie asked and they nodded. "That...thing appeared and dropped you two in my living room." She had wanted to know if their stories matched.

"Where are we?" Mikasa eyed the clock on the desk next to the bed oddly. "What is this?"

"Um, an alarm clock?"

An upbeat melody made them jerk in surprise. "What's that noise?" Eren whipped his head around, trying to locate the origin of the music.

"Hold on, I'm getting a call." She took out her phone. "Yeah, hey... Good. Look can I call you back? I'm kind of in the middle of something... Sure, sounds good. Bye."

The duo gaped at her. "I feel slightly less stupid at what I'm about to say based on your facial expressions: I think you two are from another world." From close inspection of their clothes to their reactions to an alarm clock, she was sure it wasn't from a 'modern' one at that. She knew they weren't faking their reactions from the way their pulses raced in their necks. _Or maybe I've been watching too many sci-fi movies?_ She pinched herself for the second time.

"But...how..." Eren looked around the room. Blue walls, wheat-colored carpet, a big burgundy bed, and a wide window with closed shutters. _She must be loaded!_

"Actually, can you hold that thought for just a sec please?" She quickly and discreetly took a photo of him—making sure to turn off the sound effect first— to send to her best friend.

Taking a second to think, she typed: _This is my baby cousin. Isn't he such a cutiepie! I just wanna pinch his cheeks!_ She threw in a few emojis for good measure, despite knowing her friend was well-aware how much she loved kids and would think Natalie was just doting on her 'baby cousin.'

Mikasa and Eren shared a wary look. Natalie let out a gasp as a succinct 'sure' showed up on the screen. _Holy cow! _Her mind could play tricks on her, but her phone, a machine, didn't hallucinate. She pinched herself again. Finally, she cleared her throat and began. "Sorry about that. Had to make sure I wasn't going crazy."

They stared blankly at her.

"Right, space, time, ripple-y thing," she nodded. "There are theories here about inter-dimensional travel." She tried to remember the recent movie she saw. Not the best source but it was all she had at the moment. "I've also read stories and heard ancient myths about people who fell into water, but instead of drowning, they ended up in another world. Hm," Natalie paused thoughtfully, "it _is_ said stories have some truth to them."

"I feel odd," Mikasa said suddenly. "Do you feel that...tugging?"

Eren stilled, trying to experience what she was referring to while Natalie watched curiously. "It's weird," he brought his hand to his chest.

"Does it hurt?" Natalie asked.

"No, it's just _there_," Eren didn't know how to explain it. "Don't you feel it?"

"No, maybe cause I didn't go through some...portal," she shrugged.

Before the conversation could proceed further, Eren's stomach growled. The atmosphere changed immediately. Natalie laughed, "I guess we can have this conversation while we eat." She led them to the pale yellow kitchen, amused by their reaction to her apartment. "What would you like to eat?"

"Anything's fine," Mikasa said politely.

"How about breakfast for dinner?" Natalie suggested. Eren and Mikasa exchanged a glance and shrugged. "Let's go all out then." The duo watched raptly as Natalie made eggs, toast, bacon, and sausages. When she said 'all out' she really meant _all out_. Stress made her cook and the sheer absurdity and shock of her situation had her flying around the kitchen.

"Tell me more about yourself." She poured orange juice into their glasses, amused at how enthusiastically they ate. Half-way through, she couldn't help but interrupt, "Wow that sounds like something out of an anime or a novel."

"Can I borrow a knife?" Eren asked suddenly. "I have to check something."

"So as long as you don't stab me with it, sure," Natalie handed him a small one. Her eyes widened when Eren made a small cut on his arm. Her jaw actually fell as the cut healed itself right before her eyes.

"I still have my abilities."

"Okay, tell me _everything_," Natalie demanded. An hour of picking their brains, she was finally silent and out of questions. "Must be really tough, living like that." She didn't want them to drown in sad thoughts and said, "How _do_ you live without technology?" She smiled.

"It's the only way of life we've known," Mikasa answered.

"I wonder how we can go back—_if_ we can go back." Eren looked at Mikasa, both their faces paling.

_They're panicking_. She couldn't imagine what it was like to end up in a completely different world and not know if she would be able to go back home. The closest she'd come was when she'd gotten lost in Switzerland, even then she had her pen pal to call for help, not to mention the American Embassy. "This world has thousands upon thousands of years of history not to mention our technology," she reassured them, unable to stand the fear and vulnerability on their young faces. "I'm sure we can, um, find this portal and get you back. Until then, you're welcome to stay with me."

That picked them up and Natalie mentally patted herself. _I'd have to be a stone cold bitch to kick children out on the streets._ They wouldn't survive, not in this foreign world. Mentally she shivered, imagining all kinds of horrific scenarios from drugs to gangs to human traffickers. The other week, the cops had busted a man down the block for child pornography.

"Thank you," Eren grinned widely, relief shining in his eyes, knowing they'd have a roof over their heads and food to eat. "So, are we going to, I don't know, meet the king or queen?"

Natalie blinked, then laughed. The idea of America as a monarchy, it was weirdly funny. "I'm sorry," she smiled sheepishly at their bewildered faces. "It's just the U.S, the country you're in, revolted against the monarchy and gained independence centuries ago. We're not ruled by a king or queen, we're governed by democracy. I don't think most countries follow a monarchy." She shrugged, "I don't know, I'm no expert."

"That's..." Eren gaped.

"I can understand your reaction. Your people have been ruled by a monarch for as long as you've lived, it's only natural. It makes sense, too," she said thoughtfully. "The human population in your world is so tiny compared to our seven billion. Monarchy would make sense." It had worked well in the past in her own world.

"Seven _billion_?" Mikasa couldn't even imagine that many people. How big would the world have to be to fit that many? How were they all fed?

"You guys have to face near extinction while we're dealing with too many people and not enough resources. Unless we find a way to occupy Mars."

"Mars?" Eren asked.

"Yes, you know, the Red Planet some million of miles away up there," she gestured at the ceiling. "From the looks on your faces, I take it no one has even gone to the moon yet?"

"People have gone to the moon?!"

_This is going to take a while._

* * *

"...Alright," Natalie said half an hour later, standing up from the couch and stretching, "I'm tired. Telling you everything will take _months_. I have a better idea; I can take you to the library tomorrow." She stopped and stared. "Actually, I think we better go shopping first. You can stay in the guest room together or Mikasa can crash with me."

"We'll share," Mikasa answered quickly.

Natalie nodded, "Let me show you how things work."

And so, Eren and Mikasa learned about electricity and how the bathroom worked before going to bed. "This seems so surreal," Mikasa muttered. In the background, a police siren wailed.

"We could have had all this if it weren't for the titans."

"Yeah..."

"Oh shit," Eren's eyes widened, "we've been here for a few hours now. It'll be time to get up soon...back home. People are going to be wondering where we are."

* * *

The guard groaned and sat up, one look at the empty cage and the blood drained out of his face. "Hey, wake up," he shook his partner. "We got a problem, the boy's gone."

"Shit," he sat up. "Jurgen, we have to—"

"Shh! Keep it down, Dieter! If we wake up the entire castle Yeager could easily escape in the chaos."

"If he's not gone already," he grimaced. Quickly and quietly they made their way to Erwin's room, nervous and scared. "Yeager's gone, sir," he said the moment the door opened.

Erwin's eyes widened momentarily, "Get Levi, Hange, Mike, and Nanaba here. I'll be back. And make sure no one hears." He made his way to where the recruits were sleeping. He was hoping Eren had snuck off to be with his friends. _He's just a young boy, teenagers are impulsive_. He hoped that's all it was.

His optimism vanished at the empty spot where Mikasa was supposed to be. Moving to the men's dorms, he was relieved to see Armin asleep where he should be. It soon turned to confusion. Erwin quietly shook him awake, finger over his lips as a gesture of silence. Armin blinked blearily before sitting up. He followed the commander without a word.

When they got to Erwin's room, everyone was tense and alert. "What the hell happened?" Levi demanded immediately.

Erwin nodded to the two men. "Someone knocked us out," Dieter shrunk under the scrutiny. "We woke up a few minutes ago and the boy was gone."

"I went to Mikasa's room, Eren wasn't there and neither was she. I found Armin asleep in his bunk."

"Do you know where they are?" Hange asked.

"No, I don't," he said nervously.

"They're both young and about to head off into a dangerous situation in the morning, one they might not be coming back from. Maybe they wanted...to be alone for a while," Nanaba said.

Armin blushed when the full meaning of her words hit him. "T-they're not like that! I mean, they're not _together_."

"Then they ran off," Levi said darkly. "The success or failure of this expedition determines Yeager's fate. Maybe he got scared. That girl would, no doubt, follow him to death."

"We should check the entire castle before we jump to conclusions," Mike said when Armin looked ready to argue.

"Mike and Nanaba, go check the men's and women's dorms respectively," Erwin said. "Dieter, go make sure all the horses are accounted for. Jurgen, you'll do the same for the 3D gear. Hange and Levi, go do a perimeter check. Armin and I will do some investigating of our own. We'll meet back here when we're done. And remember to keep quiet."

They split up.

"They didn't run," Armin said with conviction.

"I know," Erwin replied.

As far as he knew, the blonde-haired boy was the brains of the trio. He, Eren, and Mikasa had been friends since they were children. They were inseparable, and it made the theory of the other two running off unlikely. _They wouldn't leave their friend behind_. Erwin knew that. He also knew how little allies they had. _No, they would never leave their _loyal_ and _intelligent_ friend behind…willingly_.

The blonde-haired duo studied Mikasa's room, both coming to the same conclusion. They went down to the dungeons, again thinking the same thing. The last stop they made was the kitchens. It was empty. The group met back at Erwin's room. "They're not here," Erwin sighed. This was _not_ good.

"But they didn't run away." Armin was resolute. "Their clothes and boots are still here. Why would they run off into the cold night in their _pajamas_? And there were no supplies taken from the kitchens either."

"I agree with Armin," Hange nodded. "All the horses and 3D gears are accounted for as well."

"If they didn't leave of their own volition, maybe they were taken against their will," Mike narrowed his eyes.

"Why would they take the girl?" Nanaba asked. "And how did 'they' take them right from under our noses?"

"Actually, it wouldn't be too hard," Levi folded his arms. "It's not like we have people guarding the castle. It was only these two," he nodded at Dieter and Jurgen, "keeping an eye on Yeager. And the girl's fucking crazy; she wouldn't have stopped until she found him." If rumors of her prowess equaling that of a hundred soldiers was true, and there was no doubt about her loyalty, she'd tear apart everything in her way to find him.

"Not to mention she's the best soldier to join the Survey Corps since Levi. Losing her would be a serious blow," Hange added.

"It had to be the Military Police," Dieter hissed.

"They knew where we were keeping the boy," Jurgen nodded. "A small, elite team could have infiltrated the castle and taken him and the girl."

"Mikasa wouldn't have been easily subdued. But then again," Armin said thoughtfully. "I've heard from the girls that Sasha snores. They had to learn to block out noise to sleep. It wouldn't have taken much to sneak into the room and use a tranquilizer dart or something…"

"It still doesn't prove they were kidnapped, much less by the Military Police," Erwin argued. The kidnappers had taken the two teens with relative ease. _If the Military Police was smart enough to do that, why leave such a sloppy mess behind? Why not make it obvious instead of making it seem as if they could have been taken by force?_

"Are you _defending_ those pigs?" Levi asked disdainfully.

"All I'm saying is, if they went to the trouble of taking Eren and Mikasa—and succeeding—they would have killed his guards, stolen horses, 3D gear, and food to make it look like the two ran off. Then even if those two _were_ found, we'd have no choice but to hand them over for murder."

"Speaking of the MP," Hange said. "What are we going to tell them when they ask why we aren't going on the _expedition_?"

Erwin took the hint. "Dieter, Jurgen, take Armin and keep an eye on him. I'm sorry," he said to the boy, "but you're not completely out of suspicion yet. Until we know you had nothing to do with this, you'll be taking Eren's place in the dungeons." He turned to the guards, "Keep this entire thing a secret."

"And try not to fuck up this time," Levi growled.

"You think it was _them_?" Mike asked as soon as the trio was gone. "The same person who killed Sawney and Bean had help in kidnapping Eren and Mikasa?"

"Maybe," Erwin sat on his bed. "For now, we'll keep this to ourselves. As far as the Military Police is concerned, we have no choice but to lie to them."

"It's better this way," Hange nodded. "We'll be finished if they find out we lost both Eren _and_ Mikasa."

"What's the cover story?" Nanaba asked.

"Well," he looked apologetically at Levi, "maybe you had an accident and 'broke' your wrist? You can wear a cast to make it look realistic."

_Wow, Erwin's more panicked than he's letting on_. Hange thought. "Except he's supposed to kill Eren even at the slightest show of resistance." His status had gotten them custody, Levi couldn't be shown in less than perfect condition to the public. The only way to post-pone the expedition was to cut off the head—Erwin. "We can pretend you have a very severe allergy to bees and got stung—twenty times!"

"And how would that happen?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, "you accidentally hit a beehive?"

"Or," Nanaba said, "Erwin can 'catch' Bronchitis. If we don't find them soon, you can develop chronic Bronchitis. And in the meantime, Squad Levi can take Eren, Mikasa, and Armin back to the castle they were staying at 'to keep an eye on them.'"

"Now that sounds like a plan," Mike nodded in approval.

"My plan was good too," Hange pouted.

"Alright then," Erwin stood up, "I'll fake illness, Squad Levi will take 'Eren' and 'Mikasa' and Armin away, the rest of your squads will hunt for the missing two soldiers."

* * *

**_Please Review~_**


	2. The Modern World

**Chapter 2: The Modern World**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

**Previously: **Mikasa and Eren sneak to the roof of the castle the night before the 57th expedition. They get sucked into a portal that drops them into Natalie's living room. Erwin and the four captains think they've has been kidnapped. They come up with a plan to lie to the MP.

* * *

Jean yawned loudly for the second time that minute. He searched for Mikasa around the mess hall again. _Armin's not here either_. His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Mike. He became distracted halfway through the announcement of Erwin's sickness. _Mikasa and Armin are nowhere to be found and now the commander suddenly gets sick? _He would have dismissed the suspicion as a result of lack of sleep but Armin's clothes had been on his bed when Jean left.

Whispers broke out, some looked relieved to have some time before they had to head out on the mission. Jean left the mess hall, checking the castle for the missing boy and girl. He found Sasha and asked her for a quick favor. She hadn't found Mikasa in the women's dorms or bathrooms either.

That was how he ended up at Levi's office, staring nervously at the door. It looked intimidating somehow. But he had to find out where Mikasa was—his brain kept conjuring crazy delusions about her and Eren eloping. _As if the Suicidal Bastard would have the balls to do that_.

Raising a clenched hand, he knocked before what little courage he had gathered fled him. "Corporal Levi, Jean Kirschtein, sir!" He saluted.

"What do you want, Kirschtein?"

"I wanted to know where Mikasa and Armin are, sir. I'm curious why they haven't been seen since last night." He paused before saying, "Did they get permission to meet Eren? Sir," he added quickly.

Levi scrutinized him and Jean resisted the urge to fidget. "Since the expedition is postponed, we're taking those three and keeping them under watch."

"But why are you taking Mikasa and Armin with you?" Jean frowned. "Last time, when the Survey Corps took custody of Eren, it was for a month and Mikasa and Armin were with the rest of us. Surely Commander Erwin won't be out for that long if he isn't severely ill. Besides, why are their clothes still unpacked? I asked Sasha to check and she said all of Mikasa's clothes are still lying around."

_Maybe I shouldn't have opened my big mouth_. Jean mentally cursed his tendency to always speak his mind. Levi was staring calculatingly at him. "Go get this Sasha girl and come to the dungeons." He rolled his eyes at the anxious look on Jean's face, "You're not being locked up. And be quiet about it."

It didn't take Jean long to find her. He spent the entire time wondering what was going on. "Where are we going?" Sasha asked.

"The dungeons," he answered. "Corporal Levi wants to speak with us." He wondered if he should tell her, and decided to do it. "I think it has to do with Mikasa and Armin's disappearance."

"Yeah, I haven't seen them around either."

They did a double-take at seeing Armin behind the bars. "What's going on here?" Jean turned to Levi who was leaning against the wall.

"Someone knocked Eren's guards out around midnight. They woke up at dawn and alerted us. Eren and Mikasa have been missing since then."

"But why's Armin behind bars? I didn't fall asleep until after midnight. He was in the room when the guards were knocked unconscious. There's no way he was involved."

Levi nodded to the guards and they unlocked the cell. "Did you see anyone or hear anything?" He asked Jean, noting his tired eyes. It wasn't uncommon for new recruits to stay up the night before the expedition.

"No," he shook his head.

"Um, why am I here?" Sasha raised her hand hesitantly.

"Since you two know why the expedition was really canceled today, you will go with Armin and pretend to be Eren and Mikasa. You're about their height and have similar builds. No one will know from afar and on horseback."

"The Scouts are going to be witnesses to my leaving with 'Eren' and 'Mikasa' with you and your squad, so no one will wonder where those two are," Armin concluded. Eren was the only other possible reason for why the expedition might be canceled. They didn't want anyone to get suspicious, hence the need for stand-ins.

"That's the idea," Levi nodded. "My team is too distinguished and everyone knows we're supposed to keep an eye on Eren." They couldn't be seen trying to find their prisoner. "If anyone becomes curious, we'll make a little appearance with Jean disguised as Eren. And since the girl knows and Ackerman's gone, we can have Sasha here pretend to be her." They lucked out that Sasha and Mikasa were close in size.

_How do I look anything like that idiot?_ Jean thought silently to himself. "Alright then," he agreed. Suddenly, he realized something. "Wait, so someone _kidnapped_ Eren and Mikasa?" Too caught up in Armin's imprisonment, Jean had forgotten the bigger issue.

"That's what it looks like," Levi said. "Unless they randomly ran off in their pajamas."

"Who could've taken them? I mean Mikasa's a beast!" Sasha exclaimed. "And Eren's no pushover either."

"That's what we're trying to find out. In the meantime, you three will be coming with my squad to a secret location so go pack up. And remember to keep your mouths shut. If anyone asks where you're going, tell them you're joining Nanaba's squad to run an errand. I'll let her and the others know of the situation."

* * *

"Captain, you wanted to see us?" Erd asked politely. They'd been called to Levi's office and no one could think it didn't spell trouble. They were around too many people to be told earlier. The need for absolute privacy meant nothing good.

"We have a problem..." Levi went on to explain about everything that had happened in the past twelve hours. "...we'll be leaving soon. And don't say anything to anyone," he reminded them.

"We won't," Gunther nodded solemnly.

"But who could have taken them?" Erd thought out loud.

"Maybe it was Petra's imaginary ghost friend," Oluo snickered.

He was sure she was going to snap at him but she was surprisingly quiet. Levi dismissed them and Petra continued to space-out. "Ral, do you need me to write it down for you?"

"Sorry," she said. "I just remembered something. You said they were taken around midnight?" He nodded. "My neighbor was the one guarding Eren from evening to midnight. When she came back to her room the noise woke me up. I was awake for some time. And when I went to close my window, I heard some weird cries, sounded like someone was surprised. I thought it was my imagination," she shrugged. "But maybe it was Eren and Mikasa up on the roof?"

"Nanaba already checked, but I guess there's no harm in checking again."

When they stepped through the door, Petra's eyes zoomed in on the object on the ground immediately. She picked it up. "Isn't this the key to Eren's basement? He takes it with him _everywhere_." She doubted he even took it off while bathing.

"At least now we know for sure he was here."

"This must be where Eren was taken. Maybe he left this here as a clue for us." She tried to think of another reason how the key might have ended up on the ground. "Or maybe it slipped from around his neck…"

Levi folded his arms, his expression thoughtful, "Eren would have to be upside down, as if someone threw him over his shoulder. Both Nanaba and the kidnappers would have missed the key because it was dark, and they probably too busy to be looking at the ground." Petra handed the key to him. "I need to take this to Erwin."

* * *

_How fucking exhausting_, Levi thought after he finished recounting everything from Jean to Petra. "It was obviously not an attempt to flee, and I think we can rule can rule out the MP now," Erwin studied the key in his hands. "They would have known about this."

"What I don't understand is: why did 'they' steal Eren from the _basement_ then go all the way up to the _roof_ to escape?"

"Maybe your original theory was right," Mike suggested. "Mikasa and Eren went up and were captured there."

"Plausible," Erwin agreed. "Armin mentioned they used to stargaze when they were children."

"Yeah," Hange nodded slowly. "Mikasa knocks out the guards so she and Eren can go relive some fond memories from their childhood, it's their first expedition tomorrow, and it's more important than any we've had in decades, especially to them."

"I hope we find them soon," Nanaba said.

"We will," Erwin said with conviction. "We've already found some clues. We'll find those two soon enough."

"We _have_ to find them," Hange grimaced, "or else we're finished."

* * *

"Good morning, my lovelies from another world," Natalie grinned. "Time to get up~" When the memories from the other night hit them, they freshened up quickly. "I'm too lazy to cook so how about cereal?" It was a new day, the sun was shining brightly, her guests still showed up on camera—she'd deleted the images immediately of course, feeling like a creeper—so she wasn't crazy.

"Cereal," Eren nodded eagerly, noticing the word 'chocolate' on the box. "Thish is sho good!"

"Please eat with your mouth closed," Natalie scolded lightly.

Eren swallowed and smiled sheepishly, "Sorry."

"Here's the plan for today. We're going shopping for clothes and shoes**—**we'll probably eat out. Then we can hit the library and get you some books. I'm working tomorrow so at least you'll have something to do." Natalie picked up a pile of neatly folded clothes and gave them to Mikasa. "I think these should fit you okay." She was two inches shorter than Mikasa but had wider hips. None of her jeans would fit the teenage girl.

"What about me?" Eren hoped he wouldn't have to stay inside because he didn't have any clothes to wear.

"I have a pair of jeans from an ex-boyfriend," she passed them to him along with a plain white tee. "The shirt's mine, I don't know how it'll fit." They felt the fabrics curiously. "You sure you don't want to shower?"

"I took a bath before going to bed," Mikasa said and Eren nodded in agreement. "Besides, I don't want to clean up then…"

"Yeah, I understand." It would be too weird to shower and wear the old pair of undergarments. _Speaking of which, I'll have to send Eren away when we're shopping for some personal items for Mikasa_. Natalie almost laughed, imagining Eren's reaction to mannequins displaying bras and panties.

She grabbed her phone, purse, and keys while waiting for the duo to emerge from the guest room and the bathroom respectively. She nodded at Mikasa, dressed in her long blue skirt and simple white blouse. "Well," Natalie smirked at Eren, "don't you look manly."

He blushed. His muscles were bulging under the tight fitting shirt. "Um, this feels kind of weird," he patted his black jeans.

"Denim is a rough fabric. Those haven't been broken into—they're still new I mean—so it might take you a while to get used to them."

"What about shoes?" Mikasa looked down at her bare feet.

"I took them off, they're over there," Natalie nodded towards the door. "The flooring is wood and carpet and I didn't want to get it dirty. Winter's coming so it'll be cold soon. We should buy some slippers as well. You're lucky it's a warm day today."

They pulled on their shoes. Mikasa's skirt hid them, but they were easy to see on Eren. _At least they only clash with his outfit, before, he would have stood out like a sore thumb. _Natalie patted her jeans to make sure she had her phone. Eren and Mikasa followed her to the elevator in a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Be sure to stay close to me," Natalie said. "I imagine the city might be nosier than the environment you grew up in so don't get scared and run off." The elevator opened and they stepped in. "I live on the 7th floor. That reminds me, you should memorize my address." It was easy and they had it by the time the trio was in the parking lot. Natalie's blue Honda SUV was parked on the right. "This is my car; it's…an automobile vehicle most people use to travel around." She opened the door and they got in. "This is how you put on your seat belt."

_I should start recording everything on video. _She grinned at the shocked expressions on their faces. Five minutes later, they were driving down the highway, Eren and Mikasa watching the scenery out their windows in silent awe.

"You see those yellow cars? If you get stranded somewhere, flag one down—just hold your arm out and one will come to you—and give the driver my address. He or she will drop you in front of my apartment building."

"We'll need money for that," Mikasa pointed out. "First we'll have to learn how to use it though."

"Good point, I forgot about that." She mentally added it to the list of things she'd have to explain to them. _There must be some video out on the web that does that_.

She decided she'd teach them about the internet—_Note to self: Put on child block_—and let them figure it out on their own while she worked. _They'll learn faster that way than me fumbling to find an explanation. Hopefully that'll be enough to entertain them for eight hours._ She could use the rest of the time to explain the more important aspects, like movies and video games.

"This is the mall; it's basically several buildings with all kinds of stores and a food court. We have to buy shirts, pants, jackets, socks, gloves, shoes, and all that."

"How much is everything going to cost you?" Mikasa frowned.

"Don't worry," Natalie waved her hand, "my grandma passed away a couple of months ago and left me some money. We can buy enough clothes to last a week because I know this online store that's pretty cheap, but has a good quality and selection in clothes. Anyway, I get paid every two weeks from my job and if I need any more money, I'll just ask my parents."

The duo nodded, satisfied with the answer.

"First, we're going to buy some phones."

Mikasa and Eren took everything in with curiosity and slight fear, sticking close to their host.

"The advanced phones are really expensive and getting an account set up for you guys will be a hassle. Hope you don't mind these. They're not exactly state of the art, but they're still pretty good and will serve the purpose." Eren had an all black one while Mikasa's phone was black with a red outline. "You can slide the side to open a full keyboard." They spent a few minutes playing around with their phones, their expressions drawn into child-like delight at a new toy.

"Okay, I think I got it. I wanna do it myself." Eren went to the phone icon and Add New Contact. Natalie tried not to laugh at how slowly he typed her info. She honestly thought it was kind of adorable. "There, done!" He showed off his contact list of one proudly.

As soon as Mikasa was done, Natalie began to explain, "Okay, there is one number you need to memorize. It's very easy, only 3 digits: 9-1-1."

"Is it some sort of emergency number?"

"That's right, Mikasa. In this country, you can call that number and get help. But _only_ if there is an emergency like you're hurt, in which case the operator will send for paramedics, or if your life is in danger, then the cops will show up within minutes. Do _not_ call the number over something small like if you're out of cereal or something."

"People actually do that?" Eren asked incredulously.

"I heard on the radio that a burglar called 9-1-1 because he got locked in the house he was trying to rob. I don't know if technology has made humans stupider or if it's only showing how dumb we really are."

* * *

"...think of this one? Mikasa?"

"Huh?" She turned back to the dress the auburn-haired woman was holding. "It's okay." She couldn't help but look around and become distracted. _There are a lot of oriental people around. I wonder where I would belong_.

* * *

Natalie folded her arms and stared, hazel eyes narrowed in deep thought. "I can't decide," she threw up her hands. "Let's just buy both."

"Really?" Eren rolled his eyes. "What do you think, Mikasa?"

"Natalie's buying, if she okay with both, it's fine with me."

Eren looked between the two hoodies. He liked the nicely fitting grey one, but Natalie thought the black one was nice. It was probably the Free Hugs part. "Fine, both it is."

"Next on the list are shoes." She paid for the clothes and led them to another store.

* * *

"These seem…" Eren couldn't find a word to describe the white and salmon four-inch pumps.

"Cute!" Natalie snatched them and kicked off her boots.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Eren hovered over her, ready to catch her if she fell.

"Relax," Natalie waved her hand. "I bet I can run in them—okay not run but at least walk really fast."

"What do you think of these?" Mikasa walked up to them in a pair of black combat boots.

"I approve," Natalie nodded and Eren shrugged. He wasn't too terribly impressed by the men's selection, and put on his new pair of black running shoes as soon as they were paid for.

* * *

_Here comes the awkward part_. Natalie cleared her throat. "Eren, you can go take the escalator up to the next level and shop for yourself."

"I don't think it's a good idea to separate," Mikasa said immediately.

Normally Eren would have snapped at her for implying he couldn't take of himself. But he wasn't too keen on the idea of leaving his companions while in a completely unknown world. "Why do you want me to leave?"

_There's really no delicate way to say this_. She sighed. "Because, we're going to shop for some, um, personal—_female_ stuff—for Mikasa. I don't want to make it weird so..."

"Oh," Eren shifted awkwardly.

"The next level is the last one, and it's built like this one, so it's not like you'll get lost. And you have your phone, too."

"Oh yeah!" He pulled out his shiny new phone. He felt a lot more confident now. "I'll be fine."

"Here," Natalie pulled out her wallet and gave him a blue card. "This is my debit card. You've seen me used it a few times now, so you know how to, right?"

"I do," Eren nodded. He didn't know how it worked but he knew how to use it. They didn't haggle here, everything had a set price so he wasn't worried about anyone trying to get him to pay more than he should. "I won't buy anything without you."

"That floor is home appliances and furniture so I didn't think you would. You can just sit on a couch or something and play with your phone. And make sure to keep the debit card in your pocket."

"Wouldn't money be better? I don't know what the coins and papers are called but I know numbers. It's just math," Mikasa said and Eren nodded in agreement.

"Oh yeah, good point. Now I feel kind of stupid. When you think about it that way, it is simpler. Still," she shook her head. "Keep the card, Eren, in case of an emergency. I'll give you guys money later—I don't really carry cash around. The pin number is 3-7-1-6."

"How are you going to pay if I have this?"

"No worries, I still have my other debit card and my credit cards."

"Okay, whatever that means," he shrugged. Taking their bags, he walked to the escalator, cautiously placing his foot on the moving stairs and getting on, not worried after having taken them a few times already. He didn't look back, not wanting to look scared. Eren stepped off. All he had to do was find a place to park his butt and wait for them.

* * *

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